Journal bearing lubricator



Dec. 12, 1950A G. H. MASSY JOURNAL BEARING LUBRICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1947 wmf .v l. 1 l l lm wldv vm vw vm Y 1|.. v A Il n l n n \\2 n -i rl 11S ON l Q .2l

Inventar George H. Massy @ni/away MS Dec. l2, 1950 G. H. MAssY 2,534,045 JoURNAL BEARING LUBRICATOR Filed Jan. 23, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 2.

I m/erztor George H. Massy ,ZM WWW# Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE JOURNAL BEARING LUBRICATOR- George H. Massy, Union Township, Union County, N. J.

Application January 23, 1947, Serial No. 723,745

Claims. 1

This invention resides in novel and useful improvements in apparatus for lubricating journal bearings and more specifically pertains to a replaceable flexible unitary assembly adapted for insertion into a conventional railway journal box.

The principal objects of this invention reside in providing an improved means for directly applying lubricant to a railway axle in a journal box; in providing means for dispensing the lubricant to the axle in predetermined quantities; in providing a novel arrangement for dispensing lubricant throughout a substantial portion of the surface of the axle in a journal box; in providing means for removing excess lubricant from the axle and returning this lubricant to the lubricant dispensing means; and in providing means for insuring and maintaining the lubricant dispensing means against an axle in a journal box with an even and uniform pressure throughout the life of the device.

Additional important objects of the invention reside in providing an appliance in accordance with the preceding objects, which may be readily constructed of a deformable and resilient yielding material; which is ideally adapted to be formed and applied as a unitary assembly and construction; which may readily be employed as a lubricant replacement means in any conventional type of railway journal box; which is integrally provided with means for holding the appliance, once inserted in a journal box, against displacement therein; which makes satisfactory provision for maintaining a lubricant dispensing means within the assembly in a manner to prevent displacement thereof; which is adapted to provide a filling reservoir, a lubricant dispensing chamber and a feeding means therebetween for maintaining a denite feed of lubricant in the dispensing chamber.

Additional subordinate objects of the invention are to provide a device which is sufficiently flexible in nature to permit its easy insertion in or removal from a conventional railway journal box, which is provided with an inherent bias or resiliency for maintaining the device in contact with a railway car axle throughout an appreciable portion of its circumference in a journal box: which is durable and dependable in operation and which is inexpensive to manufacture and install.

These, together with the various ancillary objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are realized by this invention, one embodiment only of which has been illustrated, merely by way of example for setting forth the principles of the invention, in the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through a conventional type of railway journal box, depicting the axle and the axle journal therein and the new attachment applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through the construction shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the device shown in Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals indicate similar parts throughout the various views, I 0 designates a portion of a journal box of a railway car, this journal box being of well known and conventional design. The journal box at its outer upper end is provided with an upstanding lug I2 which is apertured to pivotally support the conventional journal bo-x door or cover, not shown, and which is adapted to close the opening I4 of the journal box. As shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, a portion I6 of a railway car axle is received within the journal box and supports the car structure, not shown, in a conventional and well understood manner, by means of a removable bearing block 2B, superimposed upon a bearing I8.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lower p0rtion of the journal box I0 provides a chamber 22 which heretofore has customarily been iilled with waste or packing which has been tightly pressed into engagement with the lower surface of the journal I6. In accordance with conventional practice, a supply of oil, determined by the discretion of the oiler, is supplied through the opening I4 into the waste below the journal from which it is fed by capillary action to the revolving surface of the journal I6. There has heretofore been no provision for maintaining a predetermined rate of feed of oil through the wicking and packing to the rotary surface of the journal, and as a result thereof, the haphazard manner of supplying lubrication has frequently resulted in overheated journals, burnt out bearings and broken axles.

In accordance with this invention, a unitary lubricating assembly is adapted to be inserted through the opening I4 into the chamber 22 and below and in contact with the lower surface of the journal I6. This unitary assembly preferably consists of a casing or container 24 of resilient material such as rubber or the like, and which E is provided with front and rear walls 25 and 28 respectively adapted to snugly engage the corresponding walls of the journal box. The unitary assembly is generally cup-shaped and provided with longitudinally extending walls 3i] which at their upper ends are bent in upon themselves for a purpose to be later set forth.

Integrally formed upon the exterior and lower surface of the' casing "or containerl24 fare a plurality of integral protuberances '32 vwhileV other protuberances 34 are positioned upon the interior surface Yof the container. The projections 32 are adaptedY to engage the inner surface of the box Il) and serve the dual function of yieldingly urging the container 2li upwardly toward the 'lowersurface of the journal l and also serve to frictionally engage the box le] and vprevent displacement of the unitary assembly therein.

Near the end of the unitary assembly adjacent the opening lf3, is provided an integral transversely extendingxpartition member `'which divides the interior of the unitary #assembly into two chambers 33 and i9 constituting lubricant 'reservoir'and llubricant dispensing chambers respectively. At the base of the partition member f -3S are provid-ed vone or more'aperturesvdZ-establ'l'ishing communicationbetween the reservoir and -of packing -material 5A of anysuitable type 'such Vaswaste ortho lilre,which constitutesa lubricant dispensing means for' Supplying-'by capillary actionlubr'icant from the le-vel maintained by the apertures 42 and wicks lin thedispen's'ing charnberv il to the lower! rotatingsurface of the journal I6.

'The side walls 3'of-the unitary assembly-,are bentinwardly as above mentioned into close juxtaposition and; even Contact with the surface of journal i6. As shown in Figure 2 and shown best in detail 'in Figure 3,- the Alongitudinal inward edges of the wallsB are provided with Ya rib'46 anda recess or pocket 158' thereabove, adapted to have wiping engagement with the rotary surface of the journal it, while `a vslight clearance or L"By this construction,l lubricant is even-ly'and 5^ continuously applied toa large area of the rotating surface YoftheV journal Eiiby means of the contact with the packing ift and any excesslubricant upon-the journal l isA wiped from Lthe"jo1.rrnal'by Ythe oil Wiper rib't and oil pocket 48 of the row i towards which the journal lsurfacesrotates.r r'This excess oil removed from the journal and collected in `the pocket leds then Vreturned by the restricted channel 5% -to the massof "lubricant'disffpensing means for subsequent reuse.V

' Y-In some instances, it maybefound desirable Y f to'provide a screen 52 between lthefront wall 2S and the partition 33 to protect the reservoir and tofllter the oil supplied thereto. 'As-will be readcant in the reservoir 38, the apertures 42 and wicks 53 will maintain a definite feed of oil in the dispensing chamber 40, thereby insuring and maintaining a predetermined rate of feed of 5 lubricant to the bearings.

In some instances, it may be found desirable to supplement the inherent resiliency and lbias of the flexible casing 24 with additional or alternate a'springmeans for yieldingly urging the lubricant dispensing `lmeans 44 and the" container member 24 into yielding engagement with the journal I6.

It is to be distinctly understood that numerous modifications `may -be employed and that the accompanying drawings and specifications are to be regarded as illustrative only of the principles of thefinvention and that the latter is to be limited only inaccordance with the attached claims.

What'I claim is:

- l. 'Areplaceable lubricant assembly for a railway journal box comprising a resilient casing insertable within a yjournal fbox, a partitionin said casing definingfa reservoir, a klubricating chamber therein, Vlubricant:dispensing means `in said lubrieating chamber,- said casing havingasbiasurging said casing and said dispensing means :into-contactwith an axle, and exible lips on 'said'ca'sing lenga-ging said axle and `wiping excess lubricant therefrom.

2. A replaceable Vlubricant Vassembly for .a railway` journal box comprising a resilient :casing insertable within a Vjournal box, va'partition'in said casing-defining a reservoir', a lubricating chamber therein, lubricant fdispensing :means :insaid .lubricatngzchamber, said casing havinga bias `.urging saidcasingl andsaidvdispensingv means into con# tactwith an axle, and lexibleilips Von lsaid casing eating with :said lubricatingv chamber for return- 4U ing Yexcess lubricant thereto.

lubricator for usesinwa journalfbox-'or "holding-abody of packing in contact with? the journal, which I comprises :a vessel of 'iiexible resilient" vmateriallv havingan upwardly concave bottoni adapted to :hold a vbody'of packing, projections vessel adapted to be vseated oni-the bottom'of the y journal 'box'- to support the vessel with itsV bottom ated@above the bottom-of thebox,.side'walls if# rising'from vresides-'of the-bottom of `the `vessel l and adaptedato engage-the vsides oftheournal Ybox, j each sidewall extending inwardly .Land Yadapted '-to' 'terminate Vclose -to the surface of the 'journalon opposite sides ofthe-journal axis. and above the lowermostportion of-the journal, said ions fof the sidewalls being adapted to'preportions ofthef packing from being carried along-bythe journal, as the latter rotates, and projections on the Yuppersurface :of the' `bottom he vvessel adapted -to ipenetratethe packing "vent itsdisplacem'ent. `V

lubricatingassembly for use -inla railway albcx fwhifch' 4connor-isos a: vessel of 'flexible resi-lient fmaterial having" an 'upwardly concave Y its bottom, a body oli-packingfinthe vesseladapted to engage 4the journal, projections'on-the under or the'. bottom for thevesseladapted-tobe Y onitiiie bottom othe journal box to support .the vessel 'with-itsfbottom'elevated above thebbt- Y tom of the box, projections on the upper surface J Vvessel-arid adapted'tof-engage" thevsidesofilthe 1 onv the under v.side of the bottom -of the' '..A-preventingf lits displacement, 'and-side Y overlie the packing and adapted to terminate close to the surface of the journal on opposite sides of the journal axis and above the lowermost portion of the journal, said portions of the side walls preventing portions of the packing from being carried along by the journal, as the latter rotates.

5. The combination with a railway car journal having a flange at its outer end, a journal box enclosing the journal, a bearing within the box resting upon the journal inwardly from the flange, a vessel of flexible resilient material within ,the box, the vessel having an upwardly concave bot-f tom extending across the box from side to side, projections from the under side of the bottom of the vessel engaging the bottom of the box and holding the bottom of the vessel elevated above the bottom of the box, side walls rising from the sides of the bottom of the vessel and engaging the sides of the box, a front wall rising from the bottom of the vessel and engaging the front wall of the box, a rear wall rising from the bottom of the vessel and engaging the rear wall of the box, a body of packing within the vessel engaging the journal, and projections on the upper surface of the bottom of the Vessel penetrating the packing and holding it in place, the side walls of the ves-i sel extending inwardly over the packing and terminating close to the surface of the journal, the side walls extending substantially the full length of the journal inwardly from its ange with their free ends lying above the lowermost portion of the journal.

GEORGE H. MASSY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 149,273 Wendell Mar. 31, 1874 l5 322,625 Gibbons July 21, 1885 1,265,198 Hennessy May 7, 1918 1,337,201 Crist Apr. 20, 1920 1,510,377 Blose Sept. 30, 1924 1,678,294 Macway July 24, 1928 o 1,766,387 Knight June 24, 1930 2,138,971 Keeler Dec. 6, 1938 2,350,245 Martin May 30, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 25 Number Country Date 15,309 Great Britain Sept. 28, 1889 

